When Saints Row 2 was announced in May 2007, THQ promised that the game would have a darker tone than its semicomic predecessor. Sometime over the next year, though, that premise was totally abandoned. This past May, THQ debuted a trailer that played up how much more over the top and comical Saints Row 2 is when compared to Grand Theft Auto IV, the grimmer-than-usual latest entry in Rockstar Games' blockbuster series.

Now the minds behind Saints Row 2 are once again saying that the series will take a new tack in its next outing--which is already being worked on. Speaking with British gaming site Play.tm, Volition associate producer Dan Sutton said that his studio has "started work on Saints Row 3, and we have a new direction we want to go in with that, which we of course can't talk about." When asked how different the sequel would be, Sutton would only say "very."

No release date or platforms have been confirmed for Saints Row 3. Saints Row 2 went on sale earlier this month for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version due out early next year. For more on the well-reviewed game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.